Discounted mediation service for Chamber Members

Mediatelegal and Knowsley Chamber of Commerce teamed up in 2018 to offer Chamber members access to a discounted mediation service. The aim of the scheme was to provide Chamber members with access to a service which allowed them to save costs by resolving disputes quickly and more efficiently by using mediation.

            

Under this Chamber mediation scheme, Mediatelegal recently performed a commercial mediation for a fellow member of Knowsley Chamber of Commerce. What follows is an anonymised account of the mediation, produced with the consent of the Chamber member.

We were contacted by a local company who had incurred a commercial debt with an international supplier. We checked that the local company was a Knowsley Chamber member and confirmed that they could access our reduced fee mediation scheme. This meant that they would pay just £375 + VAT for a 4 hour mediation, instead of the usual £425 + VAT fee.

We explained the process and asked for some information to allow us to assess the suitability of the dispute, and to make contact with the other party.

When the papers came through to us it was clear that the international supplier had already sought and received a court order against the Chamber member. The matter was now with High Court Enforcement Officers. We checked this with the Chamber member and they were completely unaware of this, or of the position they were exposed to.

We contacted the international supplier and advised them that the Chamber member wanted to mediate this dispute to try to find an amicable solution. Fortunately the supplier was well aware of the risks of refusing mediation, and they agreed to take part. They also agreed to put on hold any further enforcement action against the Chamber member.

The mediation was held in Liverpool one afternoon in July. We advised each party of how the process worked, and what type of approach would give them the best chance of success. Happily, both parties entered into the process with a positive approach.

In just under an hour they were able to agree a repayment plan which was acceptable to both parties. Terms were typed up there and then and signed by both of them, at which point they became a legally binding agreement.

Why Mediate?
For the Chamber member, they were able to reach an agreed repayment plan which allowed them to keep trading. For the supplier, they were able to reach an agreement which would see them recoup their monies. Just as importantly, the entire process was confidential, protecting reputations of those involved.

Interestingly, they had a very cordial chat and agreed to discuss working together once again when the debt had been repaid. One of the spin off benefits of mediation is that it can save or repair valuable relationships.

What also helped in this scenario was the fact that the mediation brought a decision maker form the international supplier to the table. Without the mediation it is unlikely that the Chamber member would have been able to get past the standard debt recovery team at this international organisation.

Get in touch
If you have any questions about mediation, Mediatelegal or the Knowsley Chamber of Commerce mediation scheme please feel free to get in touch either by calling us on 0151 363 3972 or by email at help@mediatelegal.co.uk.

You can find details of the scheme here

You can find a useful Ministry of Justice video explaining the mediation process here